For The Love of Christmas
by gnbrules
Summary: Juliet knows that Christmas is Shawn's favorite holiday, and she's intrigued by this information. Christmas fluff, Shawn/Juliet established relationship and an unusually nice Henry. Three chapters, no spoilers for any episodes. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**For The Love of Christmas**

**Summary: **Juliet knows that Christmas is Shawn's favorite holiday, and she's intrigued by this information. Christmas fluff, Shawn/Juliet established relationship and an unusually nice Henry. Three chapters, no spoilers for any episodes.

**A/N: This was written because I was in desperate need of some Christmas fluff, and because I really think Shawn seems even happier than usual in Christmas episodes..**

It's December third and he's helping her decorate the tree in her apartment. Christmas music is playing on the radio and he's somehow managed to get a strand of tinsel in his hair. He looks ridiculous and adorable, and she has to stifle a laugh.

She leaves him by the tree and goes to the kitchen to retrieve the hot chocolate. She pours the boiling water into two powdered-filled mugs, adds miniature marshmallows (not the kind in the hot chocolate packets, because those don't count, as Shawn had so rightly asserted), and carries them out.

"Santa Claus is comin' to town..."

He's singing softly under his breath to the music as he tries to untangle a string of Christmas lights.

She pauses just to watch him in this moment, so that she can remember this image of him forever – this image in which he has the tinsel in his hair and his hands in the lights and the song on his lips.

She loves seeing Shawn around this time of year. Every holiday season, without fail, he becomes even more exuberant than usual. There's a brightness in his eyes, and even something in the way he carries himself...he seems so childishly happy, so _excited. _He _glows _with it.

And she finally, _finally, _gets an insider's view.

Because this is their first Christmas as a couple.

She sighs and steps inside the living room. She sets the mugs down on the coffee table and he turns to smile at her. "Your lights are being very disagreeable." he says, lifting up the tangled ball of lights for her to see.

Juliet smiles at him. "Yeah, well, that's my fault. It always seems like I'm rushing when it comes time to put all of it away. Every year..."

"Don't blame yourself, Jules. The same thing happens with _my_ lights. And my ornaments always seem to break when they're already in the boxes...I'm eighty-seven percent sure it's a conspiracy orchestrated by Wal-mart."

"Only eighty-seven?"

"I have to give myself some leeway to be wrong; it does happen, on occasion. Plus, eighty-seven just seemed like a nice number, don't you think?"

"I'm partial to ninety-two, to be perfectly honest."

"To each his own." he says with an irresistible grin.

And she can't, _can't, _stay away. She makes her way over to him, puts her arms around his neck, and pulls him in for a kiss.

He returns it quite willingly, and when they pull away, he's dazed and grinning even more.

She's smiling back at him too, and he must realize how very much in love with him she is at this moment, because he asks, "What did I do? I need to know the secret...it could get me out of trouble someday."

Juliet shrugs. "You're just...even better at Christmas. I mean, I can tell you really love it. But why _do_ you love it so much?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he counters easily. "You love it just as much as I do..."

"I know. But you don't seem like Christmas would be your favorite holiday. You seem more like a Halloween kind of guy. Or an April Fool's Day kind of guy. Or a my-birthday-is-_so_-a-holiday-and-an-awesome-one-at-that kind of guy."

"Well, Halloween and April Fool's Day are great...I'll bet you a thousand dollars that Lassie ends up shooting me next year." he says with a wicked little smirk. "And of course, my birthday _should _in all honesty be a world-wide celebration..."

"But Christmas is your favorite."

"Christmas _is _my favorite." he agrees, and he leans his forehead against hers.

"Why?" she asks softly.

He tilts his head as if he's going to kiss her again. Instead, he whispers, "I'll tell you on Christmas Day." And then he pulls away from her and out of her arms.

"What? No fair, Shawn! Why would you make me wait?"

"Because, Jules, I am _one hundred percent_ sure that you can figure it out by yourself on Christmas Day. You're a detective. And if you _can't _for some reason, I'll tell you."

"That's weeks away...you can't give me a hint now?"

"I could. But I don't really want to. There's no fun in it."

She sighs and reaches out to him, her fingers automatically settling in his hair. She pulls out the tinsel strand and smirks. "Fine. If that's the way you want to play it."

"That _is_ the way I want to play it. Now come on and sit with me on the couch. Our hot chocolate is getting cold. And cold chocolate...well, it's not all that great. It's okay in a solid, delicious in ice cream, but not in a drink. Fairly horrible in a drink, actually."

Juliet rolls her eyes, but she lets him grab her hand and lead her to the couch anyway.

**A/N: Reviews greatly appreciated; the second and third chapters will be up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

Christmas arrives and they spend the first part of the day together at her apartment. They have a quiet morning and afternoon (her family couldn't come this year, so there's not a giant celebration.) They exchange gifts. He loves his presents, which included the first season of The Mentalist, and a pineapple themed gift basket, complete with pineapple and pineapple-flavored candies (he can't believe she took the time to put this together, but he loves her for it.) She, in turn, loves the necklace he gives her (although it looks expensive and she halfway wonders if Gus unknowingly paid for it.)

At around six o'clock, they make their way over to Shawn's dad's house for Christmas dinner.

Juliet's a little nervous, because even though she's been over for dinner before, this is the first Christmas meal, and it seems like a big deal.

Shawn doesn't knock upon arrival – he just barges into the house, and she gives him a look as she follows him inside.

"What, Jules? It's my dad. He always expects me to come in at any given moment, no knocking required."

"Although it would be nice." Henry Spencer appears in the living room. He smiles kindly at Juliet. "Nice to see you again, Juliet."

"You too, Mr. Spencer. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." he turns to Shawn. "You're late, you know."

"I wanted to give you time to take off your embarrassingly girly apron. And you did, so now Juliet hasn't been scarred for life and you haven't been shamed. You should both be thanking me."

"It's not girly, Shawn. Now quit being a smart-ass and help me get the food on the table."

Henry turns toward the kitchen, but just for a second, Juliet sees something.

A grin. A smile.

A look in Henry's eyes.

A look that reminds her of Shawn at Christmas-time.

She thus resolves to watch Henry closely throughout the rest of the night.

* * *

The dinner passes without much incident. Shawn and Henry go back and forth with little, inconsequential arguments, but never actually seem to get mad. Once or twice, Juliet even thinks she sees Henry smile at some of Shawn's jokes.

Henry asks her about her family's holiday plans, and they all talk, and the food is good.

Gus arrives after dinner, bearing gifts for all of them.

They spend the rest of the the evening opening gifts, and everyone seems really happy with their fare. Henry receives new lures, hooks, and fishing line from Gus. Shawn gives Gus a few books he'd been wanting, and Gus gives Juliet a gift card for Bath and Body Works.

Finally, there are only two presents left.

One from Shawn to Henry.

One from Henry to Shawn.

She's heard about the competition, of course. Shawn had spent the two weeks prior to Christmas, mumbling to himself over possibilities, looking up popular Christmas gifts, and calculating weights and prices on spare pieces of paper.

Juliet watches as the two men stare at each other, holding their respective presents. Their eyes are challenging and mischievous, and they're wearing identical smirks.

"I've got you this year, Shawn." says Henry smugly. "It's a framed eight by ten picture of me, and you and Gus when you were kids. It's from your eleventh birthday party. Your mother took it."

Shawn deflates slightly. "How did you know?"

"My closet door was ajar one day. I knew I hadn't done it; I never leave it open."

Shawn groans. "The door..."

"Anyway, I looked in the back and found the old shoebox. You only stole that one slip of negatives."

"You have all the negatives memorized? How did you possibly realize that was the only one missing?"

"You saw that they were still in the return packs, Shawn. It was a simple matter of figuring out which pack didn't have twenty four photo negatives accounted for, then I looked through that pack, and took an educated guess on which photo you would have chosen from the missing slip. You had it enlarged and framed..."

Without further ado, Henry rips the wrapping paper off his present to reveal a cardboard box. He tears open the box and tilts the opening downward, and sure enough, the framed photograph slides into his hand.

Juliet makes her way over to look at it. The photograph is a definite keeper; Young Shawn and Gus sit behind a birthday cake, faces lit with candlelight and smiles. A slightly younger version of Henry Spencer stands beside Shawn, beaming and looking..._proud. _

Shawn interrupts Juliet's observations by bringing her back to the competition at hand. "I know what you got me, too, Dad. I guess it's a tie this year," he says confidently.

"Oh, yeah? We'll see." scoffs Henry.

"You got me three things. Well, make that four, I guess. First off, you got me earbuds to replace the ones you stepped on at Thanksgiving. Second, you got me _two _round-trip plane tickets for a flight in April, so that Juliet and I can visit Mom. And last of all, you hid both the earbuds and the tickets inside of a stuffed toy elephant. I can only assume it was to throw me off."

Henry scowls. "Did you talk to your mother, Shawn? You _know _that's cheating."

"No, but you should clear your web history sometime. Or do you not know how, old-timer?"

"Shawn..."

"Thanks for the presents, Dad. Those tickets...it's going to be great to use them." says Shawn, and there's sincerity in his voice that everyone can pick up on – Juliet especially.

Henry relaxes slightly, manages a smile. "Merry Christmas, Kid." he says, and he pulls his son into a quick hug. "I'll have to find a good place to hang the picture."

They let go quickly, but Juliet and Gus share a look – they both know how much it means for Shawn and Henry to actually be happy not only with, but _because _of one another.

And Juliet's found her answer. She can see exactly why Shawn loves Christmas as much as he does.

**A/N: I may have made Henry a little too nice, but hey, it's Christmas – why not? One more chapter to go. Reviews are great. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Much later that night, once everyone had worn out Henry Spencer's welcome, Shawn and Juliet return to her apartment.

They eat Christmas cookies and put on a movie. She grabs a blanket, which they share as she relaxes against Shawn on the couch. She's nearly falling asleep when he asks her, "So, did you figure out why I love Christmas?"

She sits up and smiles at him. "Yeah. It's because of your dad. He loves Christmas, and you guys act kind of differently towards each other. You don't really fight or get mad. You guys are more...something."

"Yeah, for some reason, we both try to level down the open hostilities at Christmas. Don't get me wrong, we have _fought _like, yelling-raging-bring-down-the-house fights a couple times on Christmas, but we try harder not to. It's almost like we have a borderline-good relationship at Christmas..."

"I might even say borderline great."

Shawn shrugs. "Maybe."

"I was really surprised he bought us both tickets. We haven't been dating that long. I didn't really expect him to think of me and you actually traveling together."

Shawn smirks. "He only bought those tickets because of you, Jules."

"What do you mean, Shawn?"

"Well, he would be too afraid to send just me."

"Afraid?"

"I once took off without a goodbye and didn't see him again for years." says Shawn quietly. "And I know he really _does_ want you to 'officially' meet my mom, but that's not the main reason he made sure to get you a ticket."

"Then what is?"

"Well, I don't know if you know this, but you're pretty much everything he wanted me to be. A responsible detective with a real job and a life here in Santa Barbara."

"So?"

Shawn laughs and leans in close to her. "He knows, one way or another, I'd eventually have to bring you back home, thus bringing myself back in the process. He knows I'd follow you anywhere."

And before she can fully comprehend it all, Shawn kisses her. For a long moment, it's just them, the only two people in the entire world.

And then he pulls away, and his happiness is evident in his eyes and his smile. "And nary a mistletoe in sight."

She smiles back. "Mistletoe is so overrated anyway...as if we _need _a reason to make-out into the wee hours of the morning..."

Shawn nods. "Ah, the wee hours. My favorite time of day...and making out, too? This is definitely turning into the best Christmas ever. "

And as they kiss again, as her heart flutters and her fingers automatically tangle in his hair, Juliet can't help but agree.

**A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! **


End file.
